Fikret Amirov

Fikret Meshedi Jamil oglu Amirov, great Azerbaijani musician, was born on November 22nd, 1922, in Ganja, Russia. He was a prominent Azerbaijani composer. His music perhaps has been heard outside of Azerbaijan more than that of any other Azerbaijani composer.

Fikret Amirov grew up in an atmosphere of folk music. His father, Meshedi Jamil Amirov, was a famous singer from Shusha, who composed and played tar.

During his childhood and early adolescence, Fikret began composing pieces for the piano. After graduating from Ganja Music College, Fikret entered Baku State Conservatory. But when World War II broke out in 1941, Amirov, who was only 19 at the time, was drafted, and his studies at the Conservatory interrupted. He was wounded and hospitalized and then demobilized from the military service and returned to Baku to continue his studies at the Conservatory.

Amirov's music was strongly influenced by Azeri folk melodies. His symphonic music were performed by many renowned symphony orchestras throughout the world, such as Houston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Leopold Stokowski.

Amirov was a prolific composer. His most famous pieces include symphonic works such as "Shur" (1946), "Kurd Afshari" (1949), "Azerbaijan Capriccio" (1961), and "Gulustan Bayati-Shiraz" (1968.) His ballets include "Nizami" (1947) and "1,001 Nights," which premiered in 1979. Amirov wrote the opera "Sevil" in 1953. He also wrote a number of pieces for the piano including "Ballad," "Ashug's Song," "Nocturne," "Humoreska," "Lyrical Dance," "Waltz," "Lullaby" and "Toccata." He also wrote numerous film scores.

Amirov was honoured as People's Artist of the USSR (1965) and awarded the USSR State Prize (1949, 1980). Fikret Amirov died on February 20th, 1984, in Baku.